The handcrafted quality, 3D technology, and the future of BJD

Danny Choo is working on a BJD prototype of his mascot, Mirai, using a 3D printer. He details the process here:

http://www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26835/Rapid+Prototyping+and+You.html

 

I suspect it maybe play a role in the process of doll sculpting. Maybe mold-making. But if the dolls are still to be made of resin (and they probably will unless some other material is developed that would be better), then they will still need to be cast.

 

3D printing is only a small part of the process. The dolls still have to be created with a computer program and modelling is a progress just like sculpting with clay. There isn't a button that helps you make fantastic dolls.
What's more, because you can't really see how joints function inside a computer, the maker will have to take quite a lot of time after printing to tweek the joints. Not to mention that the prints don't come out perfect and require a lot of sanding.

It isn't faster than using clay and I don't think it will ever replace the analog approach. I do believe it might become another way to sculpt dolls, though; just like you have painting on canvas and painting using Photoshop.

 

Some dolls are being designed digitally now, and I think they would be 3D printed, or at least the prototypes would, to see how the joints fit and function in the real world outside of the computer. For a doll to be on-topic here at least, they need to be made out of resin, so a doll designed on a computer and 3D printed would be welcome as long as it was cast into resin. The 3D printed prototype would be just like any off-topic doll and could only be shown alongside an on-topic doll.

I think designing a doll on a computer uses a different set of skills from traditional sculpting by hand. I don't think it will overtake traditional sculpting methods because it takes hours to get a computer design right the same way sculpting in clay takes time. Plus, if you need to revise your digital design you'll need to go back into the program and print a new protoype, whereas working in clay you can just tweak it until you have what you want, and you don't have to have several 'junk prototypes' hanging out with you as you work (or that could be fun! Who knows?)

It doesn't look like a cheap option either :s Danny Choo's doll cost 100,000¥ (about £720 or $1090) to print, although it seems his doll was directly printed into resin. Shapeways do 3D printing in a lot of different materials, but none of them appear to be resin.

 

If I recall correctly Sweet Dolls Allison and now Alice's prototypes were 3D printed to check how they'd come along and it helped that when the final product was created it was that much more well...Perfect.

 

Just saw this, about a company that 3D prints heads to order and puts them on bodies (not resin or elastic-jointed).

http://www.lostateminor.com/2013/03...8ebed629&utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=Makie

 

This sounds like the old "photoshop vs traditional art" debate. As everyone has said, it isn't the tool -- it's the user.
It would be cool to see a sculpting process from companies, and I understand their frustration. Maybe more people would buy into them, too.
But 3D printing takes a lot of work. I recently watched a video of some guy making his own BJD, and it was rough. A ton of work went into that.
So whether or not companies go 3D, a lot of work will still go into the dolls, and we'll still just have to be very careful about avoiding copies as best we can.

 

That's exactly it--people unfamiliar with computer art techniques not understanding that it takes just as much work to create good artwork with software as it does with traditional media. The internet has thousands of examples of horribly bad attempts at human head modeling to back this up.

 

This article popped up in my Facebook inbox today from a friend:

http://www.messynessychic.com/2013/05/17/human-doll-cloning-is-so-hot-right-now-in-japan/

They show realistic heads that have been 3D printed on BJD bodies. Apparently, this is becoming popular in Japan right now. The MiniMe has taken on a whole new level!

Would you do this of yourself or someone else?

I'm not sure I could do this of myself. These are just a little too realistic and they make me uncomfortable for some reason.

(and hey mods, would these be OT? Just curious)

 

I'mma guess so, unless they've come up with a 3D printer that prints in resin.

 

Holy crap, those are all kinds of amazing! Don't think I like my own face enough to own an expensive replica of it though, haha, but you could certainly get your stalker on if you wanted celebrity clones...but I would think about getting a little funny statue of myself or relatives!

 

Does anyone have plans to purchase the Mirai Smartdoll? I have such high hopes for her!

 

Do you feel that by limiting dolls to only hand sculpted artist dolls that the future of ABJD is also being hindered?
I am not of the opinion that dolls should be limited to hand-sculpted only, but no. I don't think keeping the hobby 'hand-sculpted only' would hinder it. If it was a problem, it likely would have presented itself by now.

Or, will the posting of progress photos and further development of artists talents lead to the advancement of the hobby?
I think people would be very interested in seeing the progress of companies on their upcoming dolls. I believe a small company, DearMine maybe, does this and people seem to enjoy getting 'teasers' of dolls that are in the process of being sculpted. I don't necessarily think this will advance the hobby itself in any way.

Will the open revelation of how a company produces their sculpts influence the way you buy dolls?
Not likely. I choose my dolls for their aesthetic and I buy based on what I can afford and what aesthetic I want more immediately. The process in which those dolls are made would be interesting to behold, but would not likely affect my buying choices.

Should it matter if it was a 3D image or handcrafted so long as the design is original?
No, and I don't think it would. There are 3D printed BJDs out there and they seem to do okay for themselves. As many others have pointed out, 3D printing is not a simple process. It comes with its own challenges and should be treated as an art form just like hand-sculpting.

And finally, should 3D creations be held on a different level than handcrafted ones?
To say one is inferior to the other seems silly. Again, both come with their own trials and tirbulations. I think it is important we understand the fundamental differences between the two. You may develop a taste for one over the other, but that is going to be purely personal opinion. Asking the community to take a stance of 'one over the other' seems like it's going too far. I think it is best to simply accept the differences between the mediums, accept that they are both legitimate ways of going about making dolls, and do things your own way.

 

I'm not going to answer the questions as that would simply be repeating what other people have said. 3D printing - another form of art, yada yada yada. Should definitely not be treated any differently and such.

One thing I'd like to add is, other than having its own set of difficulties and mishaps, it is so much easier to create a new face! Like people have already mentioned, Danny Choo's Mirai doll ("Smart Doll") is sculpted in a program, that he designed, that allows him to tweak parts of the face using just numbers. So, if one wanted to make a chubby doll, he'd just adjust the value for the 'cheeks' How easy is that to come up with a new doll for a company? It's so amazing!

However, I would like to point out that personally, I do not see Smart Doll going anywhere beyond the BJD hobby. Danny Choo is an awesome dude, and he's extremely hard-working, but to have him envision 'Smart Doll' for 'everyone' is kinda silly. She is designed to look like an anime girl. How many people dislike anime or stray away from it/think of it as childish? A LOT! Having at least a normal looking doll (By that I mean non-animesque) would increase the chances of other people that are not originally part of the hobby being interested in it, as the project itself does have a bright idea behind it! If you don't know about it, look it up, it's really good!

The future might come and bite me in the ass later on if it works out in the end lol, but to me, I don't really see that happening.

 

I haven't heard anything from the mods, but are Smart Dolls gonna be on-topic here or off-topic?

 

Smart dolls' bodies are made from thin soft vinyl over a rigid Polyoxymethylene "skeleton", plus the automatic version would be even further impossible to string with elastic, so based on that alone they'd already be off-topic. It's easy to see how things like that are inspired by BJDs, and personally I think it's a terrific direction for a take-off hobby! It'd definitely be its own realm as it goes beyond automation into AI and open-programmability, but the seed of the idea being based on BJDs concept and style is for sure there.

Aside from that, there's an invention center in my city which offers free public access to a 3D printer, laser cutter, machine embroidering and more. All kinds of technology which could be useful in this hobby. I was considering trying it out to make some things for dolls, for personal rather than commercial purposes at least at first, but if it really works out and I develop something that is truly original, practical, and go the distance with learning to cast it in resin so it'd be proper for BJD compliance, I would hope that it would be considered acceptable by the people too. The learning curve is steep though, so it's kind of a daydreamish wish.
The computer and 3D modeling would be just another tool in my mind. If you're producing an original sculpt on the computer, then casting it in resin by hand and carving out the seams and imperfections with an x-acto knife and sandpaper, painting the face on with care and still stringing it up by hand... it'd still be acceptable as a true BJD.. in my mind, anyway!

 

I have been watching some vids on youtube about the latest 3d printing technology - and some parts scare me (like print your own real gun at home) - but the idea that in 10 years a majority of western households will have a 3d printer at home and can make their own cups and such does make me wonder what lets say Luts will ask for 3d print proggy that will allow you to print lets say 3 SD dolls? That would be cool

Would something like that be possible? I would buy it...

 

I'm actually working with shapeways for 3d printed objects. And while the end result in ABS plastics can be rough, they are now able to make resin too. And it's as smooth as the real POURED resins. I'd say if you were using the 3d printing in resin for a first time base bjd, it's a great idea. But I'd say you'd need to make molds of that model to later cast in regular resins. As far as I've seen, the 3d resins are mostly clear.

 

I'm new and don't own a doll yet and from what I've researched about making the whole making a doll process both 3D, and sculpting one. I commend the people who can and do actually make these dolls out of clay. That process is not one I can ever imagine doing. I can understand the price of the doll in question if that is their process. I do both traditional and program based art work. Yes 3D design is not easy but you can fine tune your skills in 3D design software in a year or less. Sculpting takes years to fine tune. So I respect them more.

However, when looking at these dolls I mostly look at price and then originality. I have a small price range. So if I find a body cast that cost over 100$ no paint, no make up, no eyes or clothing it is almost impossible for me to afford it. That and if I were to do a face up, make a wig, make/buy eyes, and make an outfit for it we are talking 100 dollars and countless hours of time making sure it looks great. If I mess up I can't fix it either, and i can't get another one.

I've found some good body casts of 3D printed BJD's that are actually within a double digit number not a triple or quadruple digit number. 3D dolls I feel are a good option for people who can't afford the other ones or for parents who's child wants one but they don't want to buy the child something that a child will break. If I'm making up a doll then I would want to carry it with me to show everyone. I can't do that with a clay doll it will break. So it's a good option there as well.

That and you can customize them. One of my favorite doll makers uses 3D printing to make her dolls. Her name is Atelier Enaibi Enaibi | Facebook she doesn't sell her stuff often. Because of pricing and originality I plan to buy this one:
3D Printed BJD Adult Creature Creator Kit
Cheaper than the clay option right? It's actually affordable.

There are many more challenges to these 3d dolls that arent presented in the above arguments. One would be: they aren't smooth. If you buy one of these dolls you have to smooth it out yourself. There are a bunch of different ways to do that. One of which is sanding it. Another is acetone. If your not using the right type of material you can't smooth it. The average 3D printer isn't like the cloners one it's a lot less sophisticated and simpler to use. So it will have ridges. Eyes are much more customizable with 3D printing as well.

Also, the community of 3D printing usually shares all its blueprint creations with other printers. So if you don't know how to go about doing something you can ask around and get some actually answers. Which makes it easier.

I dont think it will replace traditional BJD's but it certainly deserves its own place in the bjd community. Personally I think it'd be awesome to have a printer and make my own dolls or make my own anything. I would love to get into the field. It seems like fun.

 

I have a degree in 3d animation and oh my god 3d model making is SO hard. I found it so frustrating that I could grab a ball of clay and make something vaguely decent, but couldn't turn a 3d sphere into anything resembling anything other than a deformed sphere.

I think 3d technology and indeed 3d printers really introduce an interesting element to the doll industry in general. Customisation is far greater from the start with printed dolls for instance, and once they work out how to print resin or something similarly smooth and lovely... well...
right now 3d printed nylon dolls have a grainy almost woody texture, which while quite tactile, is really awkward for dressing. But the ability to customise the whole doll is incredible and how awesome would it be to be able to tweak sculpts to fit our character rather than the search for something "close enough" we then have to mod?
I'm keen to see where the industry goes, because I honestly think there's a lot of potential in 3d modelling and indeed printing technology. Heck, with 3d models you can rescale them a lot easier too, tweak em in the computer and then print and cast.